22 



er pothole eontaining no bees and being isolated beyond the 

 reach of bees, was a failure. 



Of course, this is an extreme case and in New England 

 we have different conditions. We have a less wild coun- 

 try to contend with. Our population is more dense or 

 scattered. There are more beekeepers to a given area and 

 there are more escaped colonies in the woods, than in some 

 western localities. Nevertheless, these observations show 

 the decided importance of maintaining bees for sucessful 

 horitcultural work. It is not merely the agency of the bees 

 in the transmitting of pollen which is the key to the situ- 

 ation; it is a far more important and fundamental biolog- 

 ical and economical factor. 



It is a well known fact that all animal as well as plant 

 life under wild or natural conditions is subject to a fluctu- 

 ation; one year a given species of animal is prevalent, the 

 next year it may be more prevalent or less prevalent. Take 

 for instance the house fly; some years it is more trouble- 

 some than others. The mosquito also is a pest some years 

 and almost unknown in others. The fish in the sea become 

 abundant or lacking; the birds, for instance the quail, has 

 been more common during given periods than during oth- 

 ers. So it is with all life under wild or natural conditions. 

 This variation of fluctuation between prevalence and scar- 

 city, has been described as periods of ups and downs. It 

 may be illustrated by a horizontal curved or wavy line : the 

 crests of the waves indicate prevalence : the depressions in- 

 dicate scarcity. So it is with bees, especially those without 

 man's control. The wild solitary species, under adverse 

 wintering conditions, or during a period of scarcity of 

 food, become depressed and few in number. The wild honey 

 bees which have escaped to trees and ledges, during an 

 adverse season or succession of seasons are less numer- 

 ous than when favored by environment. To a certain ex- 

 tent this law applies also to the honey bees in the apiar- 

 ist's yard. Certain years are unsuccessful; the bee keeper 

 says there is no "increase," he says he has a poor year. 

 This has been especially true with the prevalence of in- 

 fectious brood diseases. 



In a word, bees, like all life are subject to natural 

 forces; favorable ones bring increase, unfavorable ones, 

 as enemies or ill weather, as in the case of bees, cause a 

 reduction of the species, that is a depression or drop in the 



